What is the effect of the source (corn, fruit, ect.) on the final product?
Hypothesis:
The higher the sugar in the source, the more ethanol content.
Journal Article:
Production and Distillation of Ethanol
Lab Procedure:
Mix source with water and boil. Add yeast. Distill. Test product. Measure weight between steps.
Materials Needed:
Bananas, Pineapple, Sugar, Yeast, Distillation Apparatus, Bunsen Burner, Hot Plate
Safety Information:
Flammable product, may contain toxins (lead, menthol, ect.)
Other Info:
To test quality of product, burn and observe color.
Blue =Good, Red=Lead content, Yellow=Tainted.
Ethanol Production from Different Sources. Steven Olson, David Ristau. Dwindling fossil fuel supplies have created a rush to find a new, clean, and cheap energy supply. Ethanol began being used for this and corn has been used as a source. The purpose of this lab was to find out if other sources would be more efficient in the production of ethanol, either in quantity or quality. Pineapple, banana, and sugar water were fermented and distilled. Sugar was expected to have the highest yield; however no ethanol was collected from any source. Despite the lack of ethanol produced, it is still very possible that alternate sources would be more efficient in production. The high sugar content of all of the products originally, as well as the ethanol smell after fermentation, indicate that there probably was ethanol produced however it was not collected. Further research is needed before the theory can be disproved.
Results:
Table 1
Source
Volume
Mass
Density
Flammability
Pineapple
6.1 ml
0.41g
0.067g/ml
No
Sugar
None
NA
NA
No
Banana
None
NA
NA
No
Table 2
Density of Water
Density of Ethanol
0.9977g/ml
0.7918g/ml
Table 3
Source
Sugar content
Pineapple
57%
Sugar
100%
Banana
55%
Follow Up
Project Topic
Follow Up: Change of Fermentation Period on Ethanol Production
Chemistry Concept:
What effect does a longer fermentation period have on ethanol content?
Hypothesis:
There will be much more ethanol collected.
Journal Article:
Production and Distillation of Ethanol
Lab Procedure:
Mix sugar with water and add yeast. Allow to ferment for 2 months with an oxygen restrictor
Flammable product, may contain toxins (lead, menthol, ect.)
Other Info:
To test quality of product, burn and observe color.
Blue =Good, Red=Lead content, Yellow=Tainted.
Ethanol Production from Different Sources. Steven Olson, David Ristau. Dwindling fossil fuel supplies have created a rush to find a new, clean, and cheap energy supply. Ethanol began being used for this and corn has been used as a source. The purpose of this lab is to find how a longer fermentation period effects the amount of ethanol produced. Because of its high sugar content and minimal other substances sugar was used as a test source. While ethanol was produced from this source the efficiency was not improved. Despite the small amount of ethanol produced the longer fermentation period did have a positive influence on the amount of ethanol produced. The strong ethanol smell after fermentation indicates that there was most likely more ethanol produced however it was not collected. Further tests are needed to determine the most efficient way ethanol can be produced, such as different types of yeast and a different distillation apparatus.
Trial 1: Volume= 1ml Flammability=Yes
Trial 2: Volume=None Flammability=N/A
Original Lab
Blue =Good, Red=Lead content, Yellow=Tainted.
Results:
Table 1Follow Up
Blue =Good, Red=Lead content, Yellow=Tainted.
Trial 1: Volume= 1ml Flammability=Yes
Trial 2: Volume=None Flammability=N/A